It is no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the most prolific baseball players of this generation in Shohei Ohtani, but the already immense value he brings to the diamond increases that much more during the postseason.
Ohtani can bring his elite power in the batter’s box while also providing his services as one of the most effective pitcher’s on the roster, but only counts as one player towards the 26-man restraints for the postseason.
As rival contenders look to finalize their rosters ahead of October baseball, MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that there is a sense of resentment surrounding Ohtani.
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“Teams are upset that the Dodgers will have one more pitcher than everyone else on their roster since there’s a special exemption for Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player,” Nightengale wrote. “If Ohtani is a starting pitcher, he can remain in the game as a DH once he’s replaced on the mound. But if he starts the game as a DH and pitches out of the bullpen, the Dodgers would lose the DH once his relief appearance is over. The only way Ohtani could stay in the game would be moving to the outfield, where he hasn’t played since 2021.
This is why it’s far-fetched that Ohtani will have any role in the postseason besides a DH and starting pitcher.”
Although Nightengale is accurate in what the Dodgers should do, the state of the bullpen may actually call for an Ohtani appearance at some point during the postseason.
This would, of course, bar Ohtani from hitting again throughout the game, but if the relief appearance is late enough in the contest, or with Ohtani’s spot in the order not looking like it will come up again, perhaps the three-time MVP will trot out of the bullpen this postseason.
Dodgers relievers have been far from comfort-inducing during the month of September, but as the regular season came to a close, things looked like they were heading in the right direction on the road to becoming baseball’s first back-to-back champions in a quarter century.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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3 Responses
These complainers won’t be if they had ohtani in there team….
So, how were the playoff rosters made in the NL prior to adopting the DH rule in 2022? In other words, did the NL pitcher count as both a pitcher AND a batter? How did the AL vs. NL handle it? In the NL, pretty sure they were counted only as pitchers, even though they were also in the lineup as (usually) the 9th hitter. Granted, they weren’t in the lineup as hitters on non-pitching days, but hey, LAD paid $700M to have the versatility of this two-way player. Honestly, it sounds like sour grapes.
Do you think Roberts would use him out of the pen when we have Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen he would rather use?
Just kidding, those guys couldn’t hold a lead in a little league game!!!!! The worst pen ever!!!!! How many blown saves?
Just the worst pen ever!